Low-invasion operations carried out by inserting a device for diagnosis or treatment, such as a catheter, into a blood vessel or some other tissue are known and performed on a quite often basis. For example, to treat a constriction of the coronary artery of the heart, it is necessary to insert a device such as a catheter into a blood vessel in order to perform therapeutic treatment on the constriction.
This insertion of an instrument such as a catheter into a blood vessel is normally performed through a puncture formed by dissecting or puncturing the femoral region. After the therapeutic treatment is completed, it is necessary to perform a staunching operation to stop the bleeding through the puncture. However, since the blood pressure upon bleeding (bleeding blood pressure) from the femoral artery is relatively high, it is oftentimes necessary for a person involved in the medical procedure to use a finger of their hand to press down on the site for a relatively long period of time.
In recent years, to perform the stoppage of bleeding more readily and with greater certainty, a suturing device has been developed which is adapted to be inserted through a wound hole to suture a hole formed in a blood vessel. For example, Japanese Translation of PCT for Patent No. Hei 8-504618 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,184) discloses a suturing device configured such that a member which is expandable into a shape of a basket is provided at an end portion of the suturing device. Upon suturing, the member is inserted into a blood vessel and expanded into the shape of a basket, and then a suture needle is inserted. Thereafter, the member expanded in the shape of the basket is closed to catch the needle and then the end portion of the device is pulled off.
However, this suturing device can be somewhat problematic in that the reliability in catching the needle is relatively low. Further, after a thread for suturing is threaded once through the needle, it is necessary to replace the thread.
Therefore, the use of this suturing device requires additional lime and labor for suturing.
Japanese Patent No. 2,562,007 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,254) discloses a living body tissue closing device in which a hard seal portion and collagen sponge are connected to each other by a thread.
The operational method associated with the use of this device involves inserting the distal end of the body element of the device into a blood vessel through a wound hole, and expanding a seal portion. Then, while the body element is pulled off slowly, the seal portion is placed into contact with the wound hole and peripheral tissue of the wound hole. If the body element is pulled off while the seal portion catches the wound hole, then the collagen sponge is expanded in the tissue on the wound hole from the distal end of the body element. Then, the body element is pulled off to the outside of the body and the thread which connects the seal portion and the collagen sponge is pulled to advance a knot and draw the seal portion and the collagen sponge toward each other to stop the bleeding. Finally, the thread is cut to complete the operation.
However, with this living body tissue closing device, the collagen sponge is propelled toward the wound hole from the body element having a diameter substantially the same as that of the wound hole. Therefore, the living body tissue closing device has a problem in that the collagen sponge is inserted into the blood vessel.
Further, with this living body tissue closing device, the collagen sponge is sometimes expanded within the distal end of the body element and does not come out of the body element.
Further, since the seal portion and the collagen sponge are connected to each other by the thread, one of the seal portion and the collagen sponge is capable of being displaced in any direction with respect to the other. Therefore, the angle changes to an unexpected direction, and operation of the living body tissue closing device is difficult.
Japanese Patent No. 3,133,059 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,422) discloses a device in which a closing member with a thread attached thereto is disposed in a blood vessel, a ring (locking member) is moved along the thread, and the ring locks the thread outside the blood vessel to close up the opening formed in the wall of the blood vessel.
According to the device described, the closing member is secured to the wall of the blood vessel by fixing the ring to the thread.
However, in this just mentioned device, since the fixing operation involving securing the ring to the thread must be performed within subcutaneous tissues, the fixing operation can be difficult to perform.
Also, since the outside diameter of the ring needs to be dimensioned so that the ring can be inserted into the opening, the ring must necessarily be relatively small in size, and there is the possibility that the ring may drop into the blood vessel through the opening formed in the wall of the blood vessel.
Further, since the closing member and the ring are connected to each other by the thread, one of the closing member and the ring is capable of being displaced in any direction with respect to the other. Therefore, the angle between the two can change in an unexpected direction, and the living body tissue closing device is thus difficult to operate.